Signaling-horn.



M. R. HUTCHISON.

SIGNALING HORN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1912.

5?? R? I A WITNESSES il/VENUE MINNIE) Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MILLER- REESE HUTCHISON, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO LOVELL- MOCONNELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

SIGNALING-HORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 15, 1912. Serial No. 697,449.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILLER Rnnsn HUTCHI- soN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling- Horns, of which the following is a speci cation.

The invention herein set forth relates to and concerns alarm or signaling horns, particularly those intended for use on automobiles or other vehicles and in which the sound is produced by a-member caused to vibrate at high speed. I have invented and disclosed various arrangements and devices for producing extremely loud and penetrating alarm or signaling notes such devices being disclosed for instance in my prior application Serial No. 278,562, now Patent 1,111,463, granted September 22, 1914, and my prior Patent 956,898 granted May 3rd,

1910. In the general type ofsignal to which my invention relates, I have succeeded in specializing the structure in this direction, to such an extent that the maximum volume of sound issuing from the horn, when excited by the diaphragm, is great enough to serve the purposes of a most eificient alarm, on high speed automobiles, proceeding at extremely high speeds. I find, however, that apparatus designed and adjusted to serve such high speed purposes on the road, through thinly settled districts, becomes highly objectionable in towns and cities where 2. Ion distance warning is totally unnecessary. ile such apparatus may properly be employedon fire engines, ambulance and other hurry up vehicles which have by law or ordinance right of way to proceed at high speed, such loud signals are nevertheless unreasonable on private vehicles and their use frequently amounts to a public nuisance, which there is, even at the present time, a tendency to suppress by city and town ordinance. To meet these conditions, I have invented a variety of forms of the devices and arrangements of apparatus whereby the extremely loud, penetrating slgnals, or modified, softened pleasing signals, may be produced at will, thereby makmg 1t possible for the operator to have the most efiicient long distance signal for use in the country, when proceeding at high speeds, and the softer signals in town. or when proceeding at low speeds. At the same time, the arrangement may be such that the louder signal, will be instantly available, even in town, for use, should any great emergency Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

arise to justify its employment. Various Ways of accomplishing these results are disclosed in my prior application Serial No. 291,518 filed December 13th, 1905, now Patent 1,043,703, granted November 5, 1912. The invention herein set forthincludes certain subject-matter disclosed in said prior application and relates to and concerns.-

alarms or signals in which there is a vibrating member and an agitating device constructed and arranged to operate on a pIu-. rality of different current strengths so as to produce signal vibrations of greater or less amplitude and strength. I accomplish the desired result by cutting down the power from the battery or cutting down the efiiciency of the battery circuit and I apply the two strength eifect in exciting a single vibrator. Preferably I employ a single circuit in which resistance may be placed at will so that a weaker or stronger current may be delivered to the device which 'actuates the vibrating member. The resistance may be in the form ofa rheostat within easy reach of the operator or it may be a permanent resistance positioned somewhere about the car and arranged in a branch circuit which may be thrown in at will. To produce the separate and distinct tones I preferably have the controlling member or switch so constructed that by moving it to one positionthe lower note is sounded and by moving itto second position the higher note is'sounded. The controlling member or switch may be such that the natural tendency of the loperatpr when excited or in a dangerous position w ll be to move the controlling member to lts limiting extent and thus sound the higher or louder tone. Two of the practical ways of accomplishing this will be more fully understood by a detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

with a rheostat and .Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a part of the horn show ng one form of sound producing'device which may be employed.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of these drawings a loud. racing horn 1 of.

a type adapted to be attached to a touring form of vibrator may be employed which is capable of operating to produce difierent sounds upon difierent current strengths. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, a battery 3 is connected to one terminal of the horn vibrator by a conductor 4 and the other ter minal is connected by conductor 5 with the middle contact 6 of a three leaf switch. The other pole of the battery 3 is connected by parallel branches 7 and 8 to the other two members 9 and 10 of the switch. In one of these branches 7 is a suitable resistance 11. A ush button 12 is arranged to force the lea 9 a ainst the leaf 6 thereby closing the circuit t rough the battery vibrator and resistance 11. push button 12 forces 6 against 10 thereby closing a low resistance circuit through the branch 8 and shunting or short-circuiting the resistance 11. With such an arrange ment the resistance 11 may be adjusted to such value as will permit a current flow just large enough to produce a modified small volume of sound from the horn 1 by a comparatively feeble actuation of the diaphragm of the vibrator 2. For an emergency or high speed use, however, the operator has only to press the button 12 a little harder thereby short circuiting the resistance 11 and throwing the full battery strength on the vibrator thus producing the loudest possible signal. The battery 3 may be a special one or may be the storage battery commonly employed for sparking. With this circuit, both the diaphragm agitator and its interrupter may be within the case of a horn, but the interrupter ma separate be a separate device having a interrupting electromagnet. In

every case a condenser 13 may be bridgedacross the vibrating make and break and may be adjusted to the electrical constants of the coil, circuit, etc., in accordance with principles and practices well known in the art.

In Fig. 2 I have diagrammatically indicated an arrangement similar to that shown in Fig. 1. There is a loud sounding horn 1 and a series circuit from a battery 3 through a circuit closer 14 and rheostat 11. The rheostat may be set for any desired strength of current and resulting signal. The pro-' duction of the signal may be determined by the circuit closer 14 and in such case the rheostat may be located out of the way near A further movement of the inven s illustrated'in Fig. 3 substantially the one disclosed in my prior application 278,562 filed September 15th, 1905, now. Patent 1,111,463, granted September 22, 1914. This includes a front cap 15 the inner wall of which is preferably plane faced and back of the same substantially parallel therewith and spaced away-Ya short distance is a diaphragm 22. On the back side of said diaphragm may be a three point contact buckling spring 23 and behind this is adjustably mounted a resonating wall or partition 24 carried by a cylindrical flange 25 exteriorly screw threaded to fit the cylinder 16.. The annular 3-point buckling springs 23, the

diaphragm 22 and the cap 14 maybe spaced apart by suitable washers and held by the screws 19.

The motor, or diaphragm vibrating. de-

34. Carried by this bridge is the vibrating circuit closing'and circuit breaking device, for interrupting the current and causing. pulsations in'the coil of the electromagnet: It comprises a compound vibrating member, consisting of a mainleaf spring 35, carrying an armature 36 of magnetic material, and a secondary spring 37, carrying a spark, ing contact 38. The latter contact may be of platinum, or platinum-iridium, and is adapted to contact with and close the circuit through a contact of similar material on screw 39, carried by the standard 40,.which, like the'other partsmentioned, is secured to the bridge piece 34. The free end of 40 is split to the screw 39 and is provided with a transverse pinching screw 42, for locking screw 39 in position. The vibrator is mounted upon an insulating block 43. A screw 45, tipped with or contacting with an insulatingblock, serves to adjust the normal positionof the free end of the vibrator when at-rest. The

tached to the posts 49 and 50, by binding 1 nuts which are properly insulated from the case. The wires "are then run serially through the battery and circuit controllers as shown in Figs. 1 and2.

I claim 1. In a signaling device, the combination of an amplifying horn, a diaphragm associated therewith, means adapted to cause said diaphragm to vibrate to sound a signal, a device associated with said means adapted to alter the action of said means upon said diaphragm whereby the same may be actuated to sound a second and different signal, and means common to said first named means and said device for controlling said first named means and said device.

2. In a signaling device, the combination of an amplifying horn, a diaphragm associ-' 3. In a signaling device, the combination of an amplifying horn, a diaphragm associated therewith, an electromagnet adapted to cause said diaphragm to sound a signal, a circuit containinga source of current over which said magnet is energized, a vibratory make-and-break in. said circuit, means in said circuit for changing the strength of current from said source, whereby the action of said magnet on said diaphragm is altered, so that the same produces a second and different signal, and a circuit controller common to said electromagnet and said means for closing a'circuit through said magnet and said means and for eliminating said means from said circuit.'

4. In a signaling device, the combination of a diaphragm, an electromagnet and a 'circuit making and breaking device adapted to act upon said diaphragm to cause the. same to sounda signal, a source of current, a circuit, including said magnet and said source, a multiposition switch in said circuit, a current modifying devic'e adapted to be conbreaking device adapted to cause said dia-v phragm to sound signals, a source of current, a circuit 1n which sald source and magnet are connected, a threeposition switch phragm to sound a soft signal and a third position in which said device is eliminated from said circuit and said magnet energized by a relatively strong current to cause said diaphragm to sound a loud signal.

6. In a signaling device of the class described, the combination of a means adaptedto produce a signal when actuated, electrically controlled means for actuating said first named means, a circuit over which said electrically controlled means is governed, a source of current in said circuit, a switch adapted to open and close said circuit, and having three superposed contacts, a resistance device connected between the two lower contacts, and adapted to be included in said circuit when the upper contact is depressed into engagement with the middle contact and to be excluded therefrom when the middle contact is in engagement with the lower contact.

7. In a signaling device of the class described, the combination of a vibratile member adapted when vibrated to sound signals, electromagnetic means adapted when'actuated to vibrate said member, a source of current to effectively actuate said means, circuit conductors associating said source and said means, a device for modifying'the effects of said source upon said means, a circuit ated with said circuit, and a circuit conphragm adapted when vibrated to produce signals, electromagnetic means for vibrating said diaphragm and causing said diaphragm to produce signals of difierent characters, a

source of energy for driving said electromagnetic means, circuit connections associating said source and said means, a resistance device associated with said circuit connections and a circuit controller opening said circuit when in normal position and Essex, and State of New Jersey, this ninth adapted when operated to a second position day of May, 1912. to connect said resistance device in said cir- MILLFR REESE HUTCHIQON cuit connections and when operated to a J k 5 third position to eliminate said resistance WWitnesses:

device from said circuit connections. A. B. MASTERLIN,

Signed at-W. Orangein the county of PAUL SUTCLIFFE, 

